dust bowl to winter wonderland

A day of contrasts, from sunny and 83 degrees to 25 degrees with snow flurries. And between the two, a dust storm blasting us with dirt for literally five hours.I've been in deserts before. A massive, scorching expanse. But never have I ever driven through the desert while being sandblasted. Dust being blown through any little crack or vent in the car making eyes itch and noses sneeze...till you could taste it in your mouth.Darkening the sky and the very air in front of you till you couldn't see...at least not clearly, or anything beyond the red-brown cloud of dirt. Creeping along the road being blown from side to side in driving wind. Constantly blowing from left to right in gusts up to 55 miles per hour.The dust continued through the city of El Paso, neighboring Ciudad Juarez, Mexico...another contrast of the day. With a combined population of over 2 million, the conjoined cities function under two separate banners...the United States of American and Mexico. One of the safest cities in the USA neighboring what is known to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world. The Rio Grande and endless fence separating life and death...but not the dust.Finally breaking free from the gusts and dusts, we broke into an eerily bright landscape. Dark storm clouds overhead, sun streaming down on us, and a magnificent double rainbow touching the ground in the field we drove along.A rainbow and promise that in this world of contrasts, of storms and death, that God's love is always redeeming. Always preserving hope. Always covering and protecting and making a way for us to be with Him, know Him. And that one day, storms and death will forever end.